Is…Is it safe? Man, you work all day and this is what you come home to…
Anyway, I’ll start by clearing up a few things from the OP:
Yes, it was assigned seating. It was a full house, so we couldnt just get up and sit elsewhere.
Yes, she was that heavy. I estimate 400lbs. Yes, she was taking up a lot of my seat as well as her own. Yes, I was highly uncomfortable throughout.
I really, genuinely do have sympathy for the obese; thats not bullshit. I used to be pretty heavy myself, I know what a self-destructive cycle obesity can be.
None of my OP was fishing for a reaction. This was a true story, to the letter. IN hindsight, it was more MPSIMS than pit material, originally I had intended to be really mean and rag on the obese, but I realised that would be trolling. And as I’ve said before, I have a lot of sympathy for the obese. (I could use a deadly serious face emotican right now).
In actual fact, I didnt really think I was making a statement about the obese: my beef came from the fact that she chose to inconvienience a stranger rather than the people that came with her. I did ask if I had an argument, as I didnt want to start giving out and sound like a whiny bitch (any more than I usually do). I personally was annoyed by the woman, but not offended by her; I’m sure shes lovely. If it was me, I would have the spare seat between me and the stranger. Then again, if it was me, I would buy an aisle seat from the start.
So, my first warning.Personally I dont think I deserve it, but then again, I would.
I know this much; itll be my last. So, sorry if I offended any overweight people, especially that poster that accused me of being a “gang-rapist”. Is it bad that I laughed when I read that? Maybe I am an asshole. Maybe everyones was right all along.
Oh, and the remark about the fire hazard? yeah, I threw that in for a cheap gag. That, I am guilty of. Maybe thats what I got my warning for? You can head over to my LarryMudd thread if you want to see me do some more grovelling and asskissing, which is how you see this, I’m sure. Ah well.
I didn’t really want to focus on it, as it seemed like I would be paying too much attention to his weight, instead of him as a person. But if I had to estimate, probably, yes. Maybe more.
The line you are referencing is carry-over from another thread in which someone felt violated by her treatment on the Dope and decided to call all of her detractors “rapists”. So it was pretty tongue-in-cheek.
You were being an asshole though, and you definitely didn’t think your OP through. Even if you opened it in MPSIMS, it would have moved to the pit in no time.
Jim, it was just a comment in passing. I know how these threads get, and she admitted that perhaps she was being an asshole…I was simply agreeing with her. I also wanted her to know that the gang rape thing wasn’t a serious comment.
At the risk of being called an insensitive asshole, I am going to agree with the OP, not on the insensitive way he wrote his post, but with his annoyance of being squished into his chair.
A couple of years ago I was sitting in the window seat on a flight to Anchorage. Next to me was a large wonan and next to her, her even larger husband. The result was husband using his seat and part of hers, wife was using the remaining part of her seat and almost half of mine. I was left with half a seat and the wall of the plane inbedded into my side. I could barely release my left arm (the right was firmly stuck) to scratch my nose, forget about drinking my plastic cup filled with my much needed wine. I didn’t dare tried to unwedge myself to use the restroom so by the time we landed, my bladder was ready to burst.
Trading places for the isle seat was not an option because the man would not have fit in the middle or window seat because he had to have his legs spread to accommodate his large stomach. 5 1/2 hours smashed into the corner caused my entire body to cramp and go to sleep. As nice as these people were, it made my flight almost unbareable and painful.
The next day I was bruised and sore and a little pissed off that I paid a few hundred dollars to be battered.
In all reality, the couple should have had the three seats to themselves. I don’t know if it is fair to make them pay for three tickets when only two of them are flying, but on the other hand, I don’t think it is fair that I bought ONE seat and only got the use of half of it (on top of being physically hurt).
I’m curious: has anyone ever spoken up at the time? Complained to a flight attendant when there was time to change/fix the situation, and if so, what was done?
Because it seems to me there is a legitimate cause for complaint. “Miss: I’ve paid to sit in Seat 12-C, and there’s someone already occupying half of it. Could you please ask them to move and let me have my seat?” You have paid the airline company for a seat, and as their representative, it seems to me it should be the attendant’s responsibility to see that you in fact get what you paid for.
Yes, there’s no way person of the size being mentioned can just ‘move’ out of your seat – but surely one of you could be offered a seat elsewhere. Like bumping you to first class or something if necessary. Or moving the heavy-weight to one of the jump seats the attendants use and having the (likely) normal sized attendant take the seat emptied.
At the very, very least, I think you should get a massive (heh) refund on the price you’ve paid.
You know, I feel for all you skinnies who get smushed. Really, it sucks to not have enough room, to have someone in your personal space. But at least you get to have personal space in public most of the time. As a fattie (yes, a fattie; not a person of size, and certainly not an obese person), I never have personal space on planes or busses or in theaters or even in class rooms. I live in constant mortification that I am not only cramping myself but those around me. On planes, I pray just as hard that I don’t have to sit next to someone else just as much as that person is praying I don’t have to sit next to them. I always get an aisle seat so I can hang half-way out of it for most of the flight, hoping that the flight attendents will warn me before they hit me with the cart.
I’m not looking for sympathy or advice; nor do I mean to be snooty towards people of less size. Alls I ask is that you thank Og for your good fortune and hope you never have to be that fattie sitting on the stairs of a theater because you can’t fit in the seat.
Normally I would have asked to be moved. I am sure it would have been easier to move me to another seat than to find a spot for two large people. The problem was however, that the fight was over booked - which I have noticed happens a lot on flights to Anchorage during the salmon run. Earlier they had an announcement at the gate asking for volunteers to be bumped to another flight.
liberty3701 - I am not blaming fat people for taking my space and yeah, I really do feel for you. The couple I sat next to on my flight were embarrassed and kept apologizing to me. I kept assuring them that it was okay so as not to make it even more humiliating for them. It isn’t their fault the airlines have seats that are small so they can make the most $$$ as possible by stuff people in.
But, that doesn’t change the fact that I felt like I had been in a trainwreck that night and all the next day.
Should fat people be made to buy two seats? Is it unfair that it would cost them twice as much to fly or see a movie just because they are overweight? What about the people who pay for a service and have it ruined because the seating isn’t adequate?
This happens to be a topic I know a lot about, since I’ve always asked to be moved on every single flight I’ve ever taken. I’m not overweight, but I’m ridiculously tall and broad shouldered (my shoulders tend to cross the armrest line unless I’m leaning into the aisle.) Not only am I uncomfortable, so’s the poor twit who has to sit in front of me, with my knees pressed into his back for the whole trip. They won’t let me book exit row seats ahead of time, and even the bulkead seats are now reserved for frequent fliers. Since I avoid flying whenever possible, I’m not likely to ever get frequent flier status and thus am always booked in a regular seat.
In my experience of asking for seat reassignment, reactions vary. Some flight attendants are receptive and do the best they can to improve the seating situation, others seem to take a sadistic glee in forcing discomfort on me and the others around me. For the most part, when you ask to be moved, they try. Flight attendants know that if you’re frustrated and the people around you are also frustrated, there’s a good chance for an air rage incident do occur, and they want to head those off. Unfortunately, it seems like they rarely can do anything about it. The problem is more at the management level of the airlines - the more seats they can cram in and the more passengers they put on, the more money they make. This is a basic truth which is unlikely to change, so issues like this won’t go away. The joys of capitalism.
Post script to my last post - FAA guidlines prevent anyone who is not flight personnell from using a jump seat. A good friend of mine is a flight attendant, she’s given me all the tips. She told me about this :rolleyes:
I’d love it if a member of the airline management were required to fly on every overbooked flight - in the most uncomfortable seat on the plane
I’m a petite woman. 5’2" and 125 lbs. Reading all of this justification and debasement has frankly made me angry. No-one is able to offer a real solution. I admit to being obese-biased. In no way would I tolerate someone’s encroaching on the space that I paid for. I would bitch and moan continuously. It must be hell to be literally stuck in the situations mentioned. I’m not saying that large people should be denied access to anything public, but for Og’s sake, take other people’s comfort into consideration.
I really don’t want to be a hard-ass and I really enjoy the intellectual banter here but I don’t think that effusive apologies make the situation right. If the large person needs to put the armrest up and spills onto my seat, I’m gonna do my damndest to put the armrest back down. It’s half mine. If you know you’re going to be uncomfortable in any given situation, make arrangements prior. You have absolutely no right to infringe upon my enjoyment/utilization of what I’ve paid for.
Is everyone that admits to being obese a victim of a genetic disorder? If not, then get that damned double-bacon-cheeseburger out of your fist and do something about it. I was a fat kid and I can’t deny it, pictures abound to attest, but I’m sick to death of excuses.
